INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE TECHNOLOGIQUE JULES VERNE

Their core work

IRT Jules Verne is a French applied research institute specializing in advanced manufacturing processes — particularly additive manufacturing, composite materials, and factory digitalization. They bridge the gap between lab-scale material science and industrial-scale production, working on everything from 3D-printed metal parts to carbon fibre recycling and shipyard automation. Their work consistently targets the transition from manual to automated, data-driven manufacturing across aerospace, marine, energy, and medical sectors.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), IRT Jules Verne focused on materials science fundamentals — advanced materials testing, standardisation, and early additive manufacturing with directed energy deposition. From 2019 onward, a clear shift emerges toward digitalization, automation, and applied manufacturing: robotics, IoT, virtual/augmented reality in factories, and automated modular shipbuilding. The trajectory moves from "what can we make?" to "how do we automate and digitize the making?"

IRT Jules Verne is moving toward fully digital, automated manufacturing systems — expect future work at the intersection of robotics, IoT, and composite processing.

How they like to work

IRT Jules Verne operates exclusively as a project participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, preferring to contribute deep manufacturing expertise within larger consortia. With 147 unique partners across 22 countries in just 8 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia rather than tight recurring partnerships. This makes them an accessible and experienced partner who integrates well into big collaborative frameworks without needing to lead them.

Remarkably broad network for their project count: 147 unique partners across 22 countries, averaging over 18 partners per project. Their reach spans most of Europe, reflecting participation in large-scale Innovation Actions with industrial and academic partners alike.

What sets them apart

IRT Jules Verne sits at a rare intersection: they combine hands-on manufacturing process expertise (composites, additive manufacturing, metal forming) with growing digital factory capabilities (IoT, robotics, data pipelines). Unlike purely academic labs, they are structured as a technology transfer institute — their mission is to move research into factory-floor reality. For consortium builders, they offer a credible industrial research partner with pilot-scale manufacturing infrastructure in western France.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SHOP4CF
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 724,865) — focused on connected factory platforms combining robotics, IoT, and VR/AR for human-centered manufacturing.
• INTEGRADDE
  Most technically ambitious project — built an end-to-end cybersecured pipeline from design to certified metal part production using directed energy deposition.
• Repair3D
  Unusual cross-domain combination of circular economy principles with additive manufacturing, targeting carbon fibre recycling into 3D printing feedstock.